OwnersDirect.co.uk is part of the HomeAway family, the world leader in holiday home rentals with over 1 million listings. We offer the largest selection of properties for any travel occasion and every budget. We're committed to helping families and friends find a perfect holiday home rental to create unforgettable travel experiences together.

Our stone house in Laurens provides outstanding accommodation for up to 8 people in a rural location on the edge of the village. The house benefits from sunshine all day, yet inside is still cool because of the thick walls. The new (installed June 2013) pool enables you to swim lengths or just dangle your feet from the steps. We have now installed a pool heater so you can swim all the way from May to October. The gazebo provides shade all day and a wonderful place for eating and relaxing at any time of day. The garage (cave) under the house, can accommodate up to 5 cars. The village of Laurens - only 300 metres walk or cycle ride away - provides all you need for daily life, with a mini supermarket, boulangerie (baker), boucherie (butcher), pharmacy, bar, newsagent, post office and doctor. The house is ideally situated close to airports, beautiful countryside and a wealth of historic sites, including Carcassonne, Nimes, Perpignan and Montpellier, and at the same time giving you access to the traditional French way of life - restaurants, wine (Laurens is situated in the Faugeres AOC region), markets, and attractive villages. Some superb beaches are within 30-40 minutes' drive away.

Laurens property

The property is well equipped and very comfortable. The pool is a good size and the gazebo is a great place to eat in shade. Laurens has several shops including a boulangerie, boucherie, tabac, minimarket, pharmacy and a take away. There is a local bar in the village and a good quality restaurant. All these are within walking distance.We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and would be happy to book this property again.

About the Owner

We (that's Adrian and Jilly) have wanted to buy a home in Languedoc since our honeymoon there in 2005. We finally bought our lovely house in May 2013 and have since been very busy improving it, including putting in the all-important pool, creating more shade and landscaping the garden. We would love to spend a lot more time there and it really feels like a home now. We have 5 grown up children between us, and look forward to having them to stay there when we can make it.

1 Reviews

4

based on 1 holidaymaker reviews

Laurens property

The property is well equipped and very comfortable. The pool is a good size and the gazebo is a great place to eat in shade. Laurens has several shops including a boulangerie, boucherie, tabac, minimarket, pharmacy and a take away. There is a local bar in the village and a good quality restaurant. All these are within walking distance.

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and would be happy to book this property again.

Location

From the Owner

“We decided to buy our house on the edge of the village of Laurens for a number of reasons:
- it's near enough to walk to the boulangerie to buy your daily bread
- it's in the middle of the wine growing area of Faugere, which means lots of great wines at prices which are very low (compared with the UK)
- there's a variety of countryside around: rolling easy cycling terrain nearby, and also hills, lakes, Canal du Midi and beautiful beaches all within 30 - 40 minutes' drive
- Laurens is a lively village with lots to do without getting in your car, and with the day to day services you need as well - supermarket, bakers, butchers, pharmacy, post office, doctors. The village has a tennis court and restaurant, and there are plenty of fantastic restaurants in the nearby villages.”

The nearest beaches are about 30-40 mins' drive away at Valras Plage, Serignan Plage or Portiragnes Plage. All are beautiful long beaches with gently shelving sands into the sea. Valras Plage is more built up and has the facilities you would expect of a seaside town; Serignan Plage is probably the one with the fewest facilities, although it does have a beach bar in the summer.

For a more lively environment, Cap D'Agde is a famous resort about 45 - 50 mins' drive from the house.

Travel:

The area is blessed with several airports served by low cost airlines. The nearest airport is Beziers, which is 20 mins' drive away and has flights from Bristol, Luton, Edinburgh, Manchester and Southampton. Other airports include Montpellier, Nimes, Perpignan and Carcassonne, all within 1-2 hours' drive away. Car hire is recommended. The train service is excellent to Beziers via Montpellier.

Driving from the Channel ports takes 12-13 hours depending on the route and the starting point.

Further Details:

Local shops for everyday use are in Laurens itself, and the nearest reasonably sized supermarket, Intermarche, is at Magalas (7 mins' drive) which also has an ATM. In addition, there is an ATM in the village of Magalas itself at Credit Agricole.

There is a wealth of good restaurants in the surrounding villages - the house Guide gives full details of those we can recommend.

Another major advantage of the area is the chance to sample wines from all the domains in the Faugeres region - starting with 3 in Laurens itself. Details of all the 'degustations' can be found in the house Guide.

There are plenty of day trips available:

The Canal du Midi runs through Beziers; you can access it at the many picturesque spots all along its route. There are ideal picnic opportunities, or cycling along the towpath, or even hiring a boat yourself.

One of the benefits of France is its local markets; locally, Pezenas market is probably the best on Saturday mornings, and Pezenas itself, birthplace of Moliere, is a beautiful town in its own right.

Other activities include canoeing at Roquebrun, sailing on Lac du Salagou, cycling and tennis (there is a court in Laurens).

Nearby cities to visit include Montpellier - regarded by the French as the most desirable place to live in France after Paris - which is an hour's drive away.

Medieval Carcassonne is also within an easy drive and its old walled town, to quote the Lonely Planet, is 'truly breathtaking'.

Nimes is not far away with its Roman amphitheatre - probably the best preserved from the Roman empire. You can also see the famous Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard.

Further afield, there is the Camargue to the south east and the Pyrenees to the south west. To the north on the motorway up to Clermont Ferrand is the Norman Foster designed Millau bridge - an amazing and beautiful feat of architectural achievement.

The nearest Aqua park is at Cap D'Agde and there is karting within 5 mins' drive of Laurens.

Additional pricing information

Fees

No additional mandatory fees

Refundable Damage Deposit

£200

Booking Notes:
We try to keep our website information up to date, but it's best to check with us for current availability. We accept payment either by cheque or bank transfer. A 20% deposit is due on booking; full payment is due 8 weeks in advance of the start of your holiday. If you book within 8 weeks of the start of your holiday, you will need to pay the full balance on booking. Contact us for refund arrangements.
You will also need to pay a security deposit of £200 to cover breakages and damage.

Changeover Day:
Our preferred changeover day is Saturday but we can be flexible on occasions so contact us if a Saturday changeover is a problem.
Our minimum stay during peak times (July and August) is 7 days.

Facilities

From the Owner

“The house itself is very spacious and airy; the large open plan sitting room/dining/kitchen has 4 French doors onto the balcony, so the wonderful Mediterranean light just streams in. Yet the house, with walls 2 feet thick, remains cool even in the hottest weather. The house is fully fitted with all the facilities you would expect, yet retains a period charm with exposed stone walls and architecture.
All the living accommodation is on the first floor, so you get a great view of the surrounding countryside from the balcony immediately outside the sitting room. The 'cave' (garage) underneath is the same size as the living accommodation above, so there is plenty of room for 4-5 cars to park off the street.”

2 bathrooms: one family bathroom with shower, basin and toilet, and an ensuite bathroom to the master bedroom with shower, basin and toilet.

Bedrooms

4 Bedrooms, Sleeps 8

Bedroom 1 - 1 Cot

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

Bedroom 4

Description of sleeping capacity:
Sleeps 8 (4 Bedrooms)
Notes on bedrooms:
4 double bedrooms: 3 with double beds and one with twin single beds. Fans are provided in every bedroom.

Outside

Golf ...

Garden

Barbecue

Notes:

Notes on accommodation:
Two bicycles (1 adult male, 1 adult female) are provided, plus helmets, puncture kit and spanners.
We have installed an awning on the balcony to give shade for breakfasting or evening drinks. The garden furniture in the gazebo provides a ideal setting for eating or relaxing during the day or in the evening; curtains you can draw round it ensure that you can get shade if you want it at any time.
Outside:
One of the reasons we bought this house was the number of hours the garden is bathed in sunlight. The first thing we did after buying it was to install (summer 2013) a beautiful new 7m x 4m pool, with shallow concrete steps in one corner for easy access. The pool is 1.5m depth throughout, and uses the salt water chlorination process (used for decades in the US) which results in water which is much healthier and more pleasant to swim in than traditional chlorine pools. It also means that the pool managers need to visit only once a week, giving you more privacy. The pool is now heated too!
There are 8 sun loungers and garden furniture in a gazebo on decking to give good shade throughout the day. There is also a large drum type barbecue complete with tools (you will need to provide your own charcoal). The garden is reasonably private as there is a 1.8m wall all around it.
We have also provided a table and chairs on the balcony for al fresco breakfast or evening drinks.
Utility Room:
Washing machine, ironing board, iron, vacuum cleaner, mop.
Cleaning / Towels / Linen / Maid service:
Clean towels and linen are provided at the start of your stay. Beach towels are not provided. The house is cleaned after every stay.
Other:
The house has a number of architectural features including exposed stone walls.
A high chair and cot are also available (please specify when booking if you need these). A hair drier is in the master bedroom.

When would you like to stay?

Your dates are Available!

Have a question for the owner?

Adults

Children

By clicking 'Send Email' you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
We will contact you with OwnersDirect news, special offers and other information. You can opt out at any time. Find out more here.